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It's dusk on Cousins Beach and the house is a swirl of colors being cast in by the setting sun. Every window is open and the ocean breeze is being carried through, mingling with the stench of weed. Two bozos sit in the living room, melting into the couches and giggling periodically at 1966's Batman show with Adam West that's airing on one of the cable shows.
I'm one of those bozos and I can't stop eating the Cool Ranch Doritos sitting in my lap. Steven is on the opposite side eating a popsicle. I briefly wonder where he got it from when I remember that we somehow managed to walk to the corner store for snacks and back. How long ago was that? I think about the time and try to logically place the day's events into an order.
All that comes to mind is eating cereal and pot brownies for breakfast. I look over at Steven again, realizing that it's getting dark out and the house is growing shadows. There's not a single light on anywhere. I blink my heavy eyes and ask in a very dazed, and slow voice, "Dude... weren't we supposed to be doing something?"
"Wha?" Steven doesn't take his attention off the screen. It's some info commercial for a CD set for Hits of the 50s and he begins grooving to it. I dig around in the stoned fog that's settled around my brain and attempt to recall whatever it was Steven was talking about earlier. Something about his...
It hits me.
"Holy shit dude! Your fiance is coming!"
Steven sits up in alarm and looks at me with wide eyes. Or well, as wide as his stoned glassy eyes can go. All he says is, "Fuck." before dashing up the stairs and disappearing. It doesn't take long before I hear him swearing more and yelling down at me. "Jeremiah! I forgot how to work the shower!"
Laughter erupts from my chest and I head over to the bottom of the stairs. I shout at him, "Pull the small knob under the bath spout, you idiot!"
He grumbles and seconds later, the water is flowing. Steven yells back, "You genius!"
I laugh again and rub my eyes. I can't believe how wrecked I am. I take a look around the house. It's a disaster and guests are coming. Susannah would be disappointed in me but there's nothing I can do about it now because as I'm standing there, I notice a car slowly driving by and stopping. I peer out the door and see two girls debating about whether or not this is their destination.
My eyes glance over at the clock and see it's nearing nine. This must be Miranda and Rosie. I quickly turn on the lights in the hall and for the porch. I open the door and step out, waving at them.
"Looking for Mr. Steven Conklin?"
I recognize Miranda instantly when she pokes her head out the passenger window because she's a gorgeous Asian woman with long black flowy hair and a wide smile that lights up her entire face. She looks exactly like the photo Steven has of her in his wallet. She waves at me. "Hiiii! You must be Jeremiah then? Underneath all that beard?"
I blush and touch my face. I did let myself go on the shaving before coming out to Cousins Beach and the result is a nicely grown mini beard. I nod, "I'm the one and only Jeremiah Fisher - why don't you just park the car behind my truck? I won't be going anywhere anytime soon."
After today's indulgence in weed, I may be stoned for a week and the thought of driving anywhere seems very mentally straining. I stay on the porch and watch as they park the small hatchback car. Miranda exits first and heads to the trunk, "Can you pop it, Ro?"
The trunk pops open and I realize that I should probably go and help. It's the least I can do to help welcome them. I jog down and say, "Here let me help with some of that."
"That'd be great Jeremiah!" Miranda replies. Steven is right. She's extremely peppy and direct. She's the complete opposite of his mother Laurel Conklin. I can't help but be surprised when I see the contents. There are boxes upon boxes. Almost as if she's moving in...
"Ahhh! I know it's a lot but I promise it will all get cleaned up after the wedding. It's just my supplies for the decorations - Ro and I are a bit of DIY fanatics." Miranda explains with a chuckle. She touches my arm and looks up at me. "I also can't thank you enough for letting us have the wedding here... but you know how it is with school and student loans. Doesn't help that I'm applying for my master's degree so we don't have a budget for anything too big, or flashy. But this... is perfect and this place means a lot to Steven."
It broke my heart to know exactly what Miranda's talking about. It's been two years since my failed wedding and almost marriage. The pain of it stings my heart and I'm at a loss of words to say. I stumble over my thick, pasty tongue. "Oh uh, umm... yeah-yeah. I... I... it's... it's-"
The driver's door slams shut and I remember about Rosie. I look up as she rounds the corner with her pink mouth open, apologizing, "Sorry about that but my ex-boyfriend is a complete weasel and decided right now is a good time to come by for his 'stuff'."
The first thing I notice about Rosie is her hair. It's striking blond and cascades down her shoulders. When she looks at me and our eyes meet for the first time, I feel like I'm staring into a sea of green.
I get lost in the vibrancy of emerald hues that remind me of something I lost in childhood, leaving me with a longing of nostalgia when she briefly breaks eye contact. Rosie's presence alone is like a lightning strike and it jolts me into an unexplainable stupor.
I can't place my finger on it or maybe I'm just too stoned but there's something incredibly familiar about her. I realize that Rosie has been looking at me this whole time, expecting me to introduce myself.
My cheeks heat up in embarrassment because after melting my brain with marijuana and television all day, I'm unable to socialize. I feel incredibly stupid and useless like a sea cucumber.
To my horror, I try to mumble something but it comes out as an unintelligible, stuttering mess. Rosie doesn't miss a beat and waves casually to offset the awkwardness I'm blubbering over. She introduced herself, "Hey, I'm Rosie."
When she smiles at me, I smile too. It's contagious. I don't know where it comes from but suddenly I gain my thoughts, and I speak up. "Yeah! You can call me Jere if you'd like."
It dawns on me that she never asked and I want to smack myself. Rosie tilts her head to the side and squints at me with amusement, "Yeah I'd like that, Jere."
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